3 men jailed on gun charges after cops respond to ShotSpotter alerts

August 29, 2024 10:00 AM CWBChicago Citywide
Kolby Holloway-Cousins, Marquese Owens, and Tyreese Wilson (Chicago Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Office)

CHICAGO — With less than a month remaining on Chicago’s contract with ShotSpotter, the gunfire detection system continues to display an uncanny ability to direct cops to people with guns and evidence that they used the weapons.

Last Sunday, cops responded to a ShotSpotter alert of 12 shots fired at an address in the 7400 block of South Yates. As they were heading to the scene, an officer at the station pulled up a video feed and described a man who was at the ShotSpotter address holding a firearm with an extended magazine, according to a CPD report.

The camera operator said the gunman got into a silver Hyundai and provided patrol cars with the vehicle’s plate. They stopped it nearby.

When they did, 25-year-old Kolby Holloway-Cousins allegedly bolted from the vehicle. Cops chased Holloway-Cousins as he jumped fences and ditched a loaded handgun with an extended magazine, the report said.

Officers eventually found him on a garage roof. When he came down, he ran again, police said. They found him again. This time, he was lying in a back yard with his hands over his head.

According to the police report, Holloway-Cousins told his mother in a phone call that he believed someone in a car had shot at him and he returned fire.

“I’m not gonna lie, I shot at them,” Holloway-Cousins allegedly told the officers directly in a separate conversation.

He’s charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of a controlled substance, and some misdemeanors. Judge Ankur Srivastava detained him because he posed a public safety risk.

In another example, 32-year-old Tyreese Wilson is facing a host of serious charges after a ShotSpotter alert sent cops to the alley behind 5629 South State on August 5.

Officers arrived at the site to find a blue Mitsubishi parked at the address provided by the gunfire detector. Wilson was allegedly behind the wheel.

Police said Wilson accelerated, struck a squad car, and fled. But he returned moments later and tossed a loaded handgun equipped with an automatic-fire switch and an extended magazine from the car, a CPD report said. Then, Wilson allegedly fled again.

Cops located him a third time as he walked in the 100 block of East 56th Street. As officers moved in, they allegedly saw Wilson toss another handgun into the grass.

Prosecutors said Wilson was wearing a bulletproof vest when officers arrested him.

He is charged with Class X armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of a machine gun, possession of body armor, reckless discharge of a firearm, and assorted misdemeanors.

Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman detained him at the state’s request.

On August 2, police responded to a ShotSpotter alert of six rounds fired at 7904 South Ashland. A man at the scene told police that someone had shot at him and the gunman had run through a nearby alley, a CPD report said.

Cops investigated and found Marquese Owens, 27, hiding in some bushes with a handgun nearby, according to the report. The witness allegedly identified him as the person who fired the shots.

Judge Srivastava detained him on three counts of reckless discharge of a firearm.

Previous reporting

Critics of the ShotSpotter system insist that it is inaccurate and ineffective. Some say it is racist. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx claimed that ShotSpotter does not contribute significantly to firearms-related prosecutions in the city.

Our team reads hundreds of Chicago police reports every week. We can say with certainty that ShotSpotter alerts routinely result in the arrests of armed men—and they’re almost always men—after shots are fired in the city. This series includes cases we happened to come across during our work. It is not an exhaustive list of every ShotSpotter case filed.

Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.

About CWBChicago 8973 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is [email protected]
Website